Shellfish and sherry are central ingredients in Spanish food. This classic clam recipe from Andalucia combines both, in a more strongly flavoured alternative to Almejas salteadas, or clams sauteed in white wine sauce. Quick and easy to prepare and cook, this deliciously simple dish is a great introduction to Spanish cooking. Served with a glass of white wine, a twist of lemon and a crusty roll to mop up the delicious sherry and clam juice sauce, Almejas al Jerez brings to mind shaded tables outside a street café in a sleepy Andulucian plaza, or a palm fringed terrace overlooking the Mediterranean. Enjoy it as a starter or light main course.
Almejas al Jerez – Clams in Sherry Sauce
Ingredients
- 800 gms fresh small clams (almejas). Any small clams will do – Spanish fishmongers and markets offer many different types – but they must be fresh. Avoid batches with more than one or two open clams which don’t close when touched, or with broken shells.
- ½ cup dry sherry (jerez).
- 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil (aceite de oliva).
- A few stems of flat parsley (perejil).
- 5 or 6 plump cloves of garlic (ajo).
- ½ medium sized onion (cebolla).
- Sea salt
To serve:
- Fresh, crusty bread or rolls.
- ½ a lemon.
Serves 2 as a main course or 6 as a starter.
Method
- Sort the clams carefully, discarding any broken ones, and any open ones which don’t close when touched.
- Wash in cold water, drain, then add a tablespoon of sea salt to a bowl of fresh cold water and soak the clams in a cool place for 1hr to allow any sand or grit to be expelled.
- Drain thoroughly.
- Reserve a few sprigs of parsley for garnish, then chop the onion, garlic and remaining parsley into small pieces. Fry gently in the olive oil on a low heat in a medium saucepan (15-20cm) with a lid (a glass lid is best) to soften the onion.
- When the onion has softened and turns transparent, add the clams, cover and turn up the heat.
- As soon as the clams begin to open, add the sherry, cover, shake well and continue to heat briskly for 2-3 minutes, shaking occasionally, until the clams are well open.
- Decant into a heated bowl for serving, or serve straight from the saucepan.
Serving
Ladle clams sauce into individual pre-warmed soup bowls or earthenware dishes, add a squeeze of lemon and garnish with parsley
The clams are best eaten with the fingers and/or a fork, so provide paper napkins and fingerbowls, with a spoon for any surplus sauce.
Serve with fresh crusty bread and a pink or white wine.
Preparation Time
30 minutes.
Other Delicious Andalucian Dishes
Almejas Malaguenas - clams in white wine sauce.
Gambas al Pil Pil - prawns in hot spicy sauce.
Tony Allen - In 2004 I began my "fourth career" as a freelance writer. In my first career, after training at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, I ...
